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WE’RE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE’RE NOT ALL THERE

Norton Colorado

www.nortoncolorado.org Newsletter

January 2017

Upcoming Events

See page 16 for the entire official 2016 events schedule. If you have any ideas for the 2017 official schedule, please contact Eric.

January 1 (Sunday) New Years Day Ride

January 15 (Sunday) Pub meeting at Lincoln's Road House, Denver, 11 AM.

February 4 (Saturday) Winter Banquet,

Tony P's Bar & Pizzaria, 777 E. 17th St.,

Denver, 5 PM.

Lots of open time to fill if anyone cares to lead a ride. Just email Eric and he will broadcast it to the club.

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Pints Pub Gathering

Rode a Norton Jack Abeyta Scott Robinson Rode something lesser Arnie Beckman -- Triumph Eric Bergman -- Laverda Hillbilly -- Triumph Bob Ohman -- Yamaha Steve Siler -- KTM Martin White -- KTM Got there Jim Colt Bob Martin Lew Wackler

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My First Commando By Eric Bergman

In late spring 1971 I was 20 years old, living in Frankfurt, Germany and working for the U.S. Army draw-ing training posters about proper hygiene when living in a trench and the lubrication points for a two-and-a half-ton truck. One day I was loitering outside the train station (conveniently located next to the red light district) when out of the monumental old building and into the sunlight rolled a most amazing object, a canary yellow Norton Commando Roadster. I had actually seen and ridden a Commando a few years be-fore, but it had not been an entirely positive experience. An acquaintance of mine who sometimes dated my sister managed to borrowed a green Fastback (this about 1969) and actually let me ride it down the street, maybe Alex thought it would help him make progress with my sister. I can still recall the excitement when I reached the end of the dead-end street, typical European cobblestones with a layer of wet leaves on top. I merely touched the brakes and the front end took off at a very unsporting angle, threatening to put all the lovely fiberglass into intimate contact with the cobblestones. With both feet as outriggers and leg mus-cles straining, I somehow kept the thing upright, and I was very grateful to hand the bike back to Alex. The horror of the near-disaster kept the image of this motorcycle out of my dreams.

Back to 1971, outside the train station. Any remnant misgivings about the Fastback are gone, blanketed by the visceral effect of this yellow Roadster gleaming in the sunlight, completely in harmony with the sex-trade district surrounding us. The rider was having trouble starting it (prophetic!) and I went over to kibitz. He was an American who’d just bought the beast from a dealer named Dun-stall in England, brought it by train to Frankfurt, and was starting (or at least trying to start) his dream European vacation with his wife on the back. I was stunned when he told me these beautiful machines could be had for $1100. I had not yet acquired any expensive vices at that time and I’d been able to save a fair fraction of my wages from the Army, enough, in fact, to order a Commando of my own. A few days later I was in the train station again, using the international phone service to call the number in London I’d gotten from the Honeymooner. I knew almost nothing about the Commando line, but what’s to know? I just said I wanted a Roadster. The sales manager asked what color, and we settled on Black for reasons I cannot recall (I really did like the Canary Yellow).

A few weeks later I took the train to London to pick up the bike at Dunstall’s shop in one of the ugly suburbs south of the city. A friend (not Alex) came along for the adventure. Dunstall had a retail shop which I saw only briefly. Most of the action took place in a small industrial park a few miles away. The legal aspects of the purchase were remarkably easy, given the poor reputation the Brits had for paperwork and regulations (not in a class with the Germans, mind you, but bad enough). I think for the Brits that was probably true, but for export customers such as myself, waving hard currency, they made it a lot easier. I do remember having to find some ob-scure office and doing some paperwork (and paying some modest fees) for a temporary registration and insurance, but it was no big deal. I didn’t need any special driver’s license.

So off I rode with my very trusting friend on the back. On the main road outside Dunstall’s shop I gave the throttle what I thought was a modest goose as we went over a small overpass and was a bit surprised when the rear end broke free and swung out. So it’s not just the front end of these things one has to worry about! The rest of the trip back to Frankfurt was uneventful although I worried a lot about what might happen to my precious bike in the belly of the ferry, outside the little French hotel we stayed at (with the wimpy steering lock as the only security), etc. We took some back roads through France and I had my first taste of the Norton’s fine road manners. I decided I had made an excellent decision!

Even on the trip back to Frankfurt I noticed a lot of blue smoke coming from the exhaust, and for the next several months I went through dozens of spark plugs and many quarts of oil. Finally concluding that this problem was not going to fix itself, I called Dun-stall’s shop and learned a sad story about bad valve guides (I had no real notion of what they were) which would be replaced under warranty if I brought the bike back to the shop. This was November, when the weather in Europe is getting seriously ugly, but I had no real alternative so I took off for London with a goodly amount of spare oil and spark plugs, and the warmest clothes I had.

Having come under the influence of some of Dunstall’s marketing materials since buy-ing the stock Roadster, I had decided that, as long as I was there, I should also trade in the drum front brake for a spiffy twin disk setup and the stock exhaust system for the infamous 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust pipes and Decibel mufflers. One of the mechanics at Dunstall’s let me watch while he pulled the cylinder head and put in the new and im-proved valve guides, and the other goodies. There wasn’t much choice, since I had no place to go. While he worked the weather got steadily worse, and about the time he finished, late in the day on which I needed to catch the ferry at Dover, several of the guys approached me and pointed out that I was ill-equipped for a nasty long ride home. One of the oldest took me aside and told me to go to a surplus store on a certain street in the next town and ask for a Dispatch Rider’s Coat. Bless him! I’d never heard of these coats before but learned quickly that they were designed (in WW II) for just the conditions I faced (minus hostile fire of course). It took a while to figure out how to install the coat, with it’s numerous straps, buckles, and flaps, on my body, and then it was a struggle to heave myself onto the bike, but once in the saddle and moving I felt as if nothing could reach me through all those many pounds of rubberized canvas.

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On the dark, narrow road to the ferry I was continually blinded by the oncoming lights in heavy traffic and pouring rain, and having a truly unpleasant time when things got even worse: a steady miss in the firing gradually reduced me to one cylinder. I was going to miss the ferry, freeze to death in the rain, and then starve to death for good measure, as I had very little money left. Things looked bad as I pulled off the road into the parking lot of a little group of isolated shops which appeared to be closed. A bit of light glowed in one, however, and I knocked at the door in desperation. After a while a middle-aged guy (yes I know you were hoping for a beau-tiful English farm girl but this is true story) came out of the back and let me in, into a motorcycle shop! God Bless the Queen! It was one of those little country shops where they sold a few machines, repaired the local’s bikes, and did a bit of racing on the side. I sus-pect there are many fewer of them today. I remember some scabby single-cylinder racing bikes lying about, but I was a lot more interested in the possibility that my new friend could help me fix the problem with my bike. It will be no surprise that ignition prob-lems from wetness were nothing new to him and he had the offending sites spritzed with water repellant and gobbed up with gorilla snot in a matter of minutes. Back into the night I went, making the ferry with minutes to spare, and then a dismal endurance run back to Frankfurt as fast as I could manage in the freezing rain. The only bright spot in all this was the Dunstall twin disk brake. It was amazing in the heavy rain, which I knew from experience would have reduced the old drum brake to a state as wretched as my own. Even with frozen hands I could stop reliably.

For the next several years I rode the Commando in Europe and around Washington, DC, having many fine adventures (plus an acci-dent that taught me a lot about defensive riding), and took my first lessons in Commando wrenching. I eventually learned that hard starting (dozens of shoes, not to mention my arch, paid the Ultimate Price) was caused by the stone-age mechanical advance unit hidden behind the contact breaker plate. I experimented with cafe racer bodywork, clip-ons, and rear-sets and finally went back to a fairly stock setup for the usual reasons. I shudder now to think of the butchery I carried out on that bike, and my ongoing frame-up restoration of a thoroughly abused 1972 Combat Roadster should probably be viewed as penance for my crimes. I eventually tired of the maintenance hassles with the Commando (mostly self-inflicted out of ignorance, of course) and tried several other bikes (BMW 500, Bultaco Metralla, Suzuki 500 Titan) before college, graduate school, a wife, a baby, a job, “maturity”, etc., intervened. It took over 20 years for me to realize I had unfinished business with my black Norton Commando Roadster, but that will be another story.

“What did he mean by 'project'? I was told all it needed was a battery and some fuel.”

Actually, I told Phil Radford (fairspares) I was looking for a combat project. He had this roller stashed in the back that he said he'd never get to. I'll resurrect it best I can.

Scott Shuler’s next project

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“HOOLIGAN”: AN OLD SCHOOL BOBBER

By Jerry Pokorny Engine

1968 Triumph TR6c

1970 Bonneville Head

New bearings, seals, etc. – total rebuild

Cylinder relined to stock bore, std pistons.

Frame

Triumph T100 front end

T120 Bonneville front frame

Rigid Bobber Tail

Other Features

Pazon “sure fire” ignition

Tympanium power control module

Credits

Salt Lake Chrome – Tank Chroming

Blast Tech – grit blasting frame

Vapor Blast Solutions – vapor blast cases

Tain’t Paint – Powder Coating

Old European Bikes - parts

The Bonneville Shop – parts

Apex Motorsports - Wheels

“Turbo George” – technical consulting

Area Machine – head and cylinders

Wagners Prop Shop – welding case

Frank Pucket – welding battery box support plates

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“HOOLIGAN”: AN OLD SCHOOL BOBBER

By Jerry Pokorny

This started as a winter project in fall 2015. I purchased the collection of parts from a fellow who decided not to pursue the creation of a bobber from the lot.

I ended up with 2 engines (T120 Bonneville and TR6C 650cc) that I mixed and matched parts to get enough good bits to build one engine for the project. Since the TR6C engine number was on the Colorado Title it became the host since I needed the case number to get it tagged.

Based on the condition of the Cylinders, I decided on re-sleeving it and going with stock dimension pistons. The head was rebuilt with new valves and springs and the seats ground by Area Machine in Denver (along with the resleeving of the cylinders).

All the internals of the engine were good to use over so it was just a matter of new bearings, seals, etc to get the bottom end done.

The gearbox was rebuilt using the existing internals. All the cases were sent to New Mexico to get vapor blasted. Outer covers were polished in Colorado Springs to an awesome finish that looks like chrome.

Wheel bearing were replaced and new Dunlop tires and tubes front and rear.

One of my objectives was to do the build using as many of the basket case parts as long as they were ok to recycle. Big stuff was refitted when possible but a lot of the little bits were needed to complete the rebuild so Dave Porter and the Bonneville shop saw a lot of my money during this process. In a number of cases, Dave was able to come up with used parts that I cleaned up to a condition suitable for the project quality I was trying to attain.

The basket case came with a Yamaha front fork and wheels so to keep it pure British, I got a T-100 front end and wheel from Carmen which I totally rebuilt and it worked out great.

George Nachsheim was the source of a new front frame since the one that came with the parts had been modified and was unsuitable as is. The only frame member I could use from the purchase was the rigid rear end which fitted beautifully with the other components.

My design was an emulation of a bike that appeared in one of the annual Triumph calendars a few years back. I liked it so much I copied almost 100% with the exception of the solo sprung saddle and straight pipes.

Lowbrow customs was a source of the western handle bars, exhaust pipes, and many other small bits need-ed to get the look I wanted.

I recycled the battery box that came with the basket case and fitted it with a 12 volt sealed battery along with the tympanium power control unit. I designed the wiring harness custom for this bike and fitted new coils and the Pazon Sure Fire spark system.

The frame was blasted by Blast Tech in Denver and Roger at Tain’t Paint did the radical red powder coating.

The Emgo new built fuel tank was sent to Salt Lake Chrome for plating – another radical look I liked.

I put the new clutch plates in on and had a successful initial startup. Of course “Murphy” was on the job and it snowed at my home so I have not been able to take her out for a spin yet but the first warm day that is next on the agenda.

All in all, I am super pleased by the result and would rate this as a personal best in a restoration/bobber modification project compared to anything I have ever attempted.

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Need to tap your petcock? Call Eric. This is a bit obscure but may be of interest to one or two of you who have a Commando gas tank with a damaged port for a petcock, or one that has been gunked up with sealer. The threadsize of those ports is 1/4 BSP (British Standard Pipe), which has 19 threads per inch and is a little over 1/2 inch in diame-ter, with a 55° Whitworth thread form (http://www.newmantools.com/taps/bsp.htm). I have not checked but I expect many other British motorcycles have used the same thread for petcocks. That tap is not commonly found in most Norton-owners’ toolboxes. People with loose morals have claimed rea-sonable success cleaning those threads with a 1/2-20 tap, which is commonly available, but diameter, threads per inch and thread form are all wrong. The reason it “works” is that the diameter is 0.018” less than 1/4 BSP, so the mismatches in tpi and thread form can be accommodated. If you prefer to do things a bit lmore accurately, however, I just discovered that I have the correct tap—it was in a set of old British taps and dies I bought on eBay years ago. I am willing to loan it to members of Norton Colo-rado, but I will be fairly strict about its prompt return. Or bring your tank by the house sometime for a

quick clean-up.

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A Tule Fog Christmas By Richard E. Smith

‘Twas a dark Christmas Eve, a year or two past,

When me and the Norton sorta ran out of gas.

It was a quarter past twelve in a thick valley fog

When right out of nowhere roared this ’64 Dodge.

A red station wagon, with every light blinkin’,

From the way it was riding, I thought it was sinkin’,

But it stopped on a dime, (at least short of a dollar),

And this fat man in red gave out with a holler:

“What thou, miserable lout are thee,

To be flogging, yer bike at a quarter past three!?”

I put up a finger at once to reply,

But he caught his mistake in the wink of an eye.

The thundering Dodge did wheel and then quake

With big chromy zoomies right off of the lake.

The sound of its engine’s too frightening to mention,

And he laughed when he said it wasn’t built on a pension.

The wheelbase was lengthened, the tires were huge,

A bored and stroked wedgy, a supercharged stooge.

An all-weather wagon, all packed to the gills

With a fancy fuzz-buster to avoid Smokey’s bills.

“Me cherry-red Dodge is the beast I require,

Cause I need a big mount that won’t hassle or tire

As I drop off the goodies from Chico to Gorman,

”My 440 Torqueflite just keeps on a-stormin’.”

“But what of Dasher,” I asked, “And Comet, and

Vixen?”

“Oh they’re coolin’ they’s hooves right outside of

Dixon.

The thick valley fog’s no place for a reindeer…”

Said the jolly fat guy as he gave me a warm beer.

“My wagon’s the ticket, all steel and all grace,

For keeping bad tule fog outta my face.

And what about you, you sure ain’t no hiker!”

I said “No, that’s true, just an out of gas biker.”

“Well,” he roared when he heard that, until he did

shake,

“Another one, heh, on some damned English make!

Yes, I’ve seen ‘em all, son, since yon days of yore:

I used to do this on a Henderson Four!”

My face, unbelieving, betrayed me two counts

And I took great exception for my insulted mounts.

“Don’t take it so hard, young friend on a Norton,

Just cause I’m old ye don’t think I ain’t snortin’?”

So he shook and he wiggled as he gassed me with

pride,

And settled his mass back into his ride.

He’s run this old valley untold many times,

With many a load and many a climb,

On Knuckleheads, Aces, Matchless and Vincents,

On Princes and Beemers and Triumphs that didn’t;

On outfits and solos as clean as you please,

But an old hot-rod Dodge is his current “bees knees.”

And the thought crossed my mind, as I gave ‘er a

kick,

“What a far out dude, is he really Saint Nick?”

So to answer my question, he started to haul,

Nipped straight to the Ton, just south of the mall;

Pulled a big wheelie, ‘bout a foot off the ground,

Gave me a wave and pulled out of town.

But I heard him exclaim, as he peeled out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all an Old Bike!!”

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Scott Shuler has been busy in his garage this year. Here are some pics of an 850 Norton he is almost finished building.

Scott had this to say when asked when the bike would be completed. “Bodywork underway now. Carbs arrive tomorrow. Should be done after new year. Ha. You know how that'll go. “

It’s looking great so far, can’t wait to see it on the road.

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What is aplomb? The British have such a command of decorum and aplomb that we can only aspire

to…For my friends who appreciate the finer points of the English language used correctly.

His Lordship was in the study when the butler approached and coughed discreetly. "May I ask you a question, My Lord?" "Go ahead, Carson ," said His Lordship. "I am doing the crossword in The Times and I have found a word I am not too clear on." "What word is that?" asked His Lordship. "Aplomb," My Lord. "Now that's a difficult one to explain. I would say it is self-assurance or complete composure." "Thank you, My Lord, but I'm still a little confused."

"Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Do you remember a few months ago when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived to spend a weekend with us?" "I remember the occasion very well, My Lord. It gave the staff and myself much pleasure to look after them."

"Also," continued the Earl of Grantham, "do you remember when Wills plucked a rose for Kate in the rose garden?" "I was present on that occasion, My Lord, ministering to their needs. "While plucking the rose, a thorn embedded itself in his thumb very deeply." "I witnessed the incident, My Lord, and saw the Duchess herself remove the thorn and bandage his thumb with her own dainty handkerchief." "That evening the hole that the rose made on his thumb was very sore. Kate had to cut up his venison even though it was extremely tender." "Yes, My Lord, I did see everything that transpired that evening."

"And do you remember the next morning while you were pouring coffee for Her Ladyship, Kate inquired of Wills with a loud voice, 'Darling, does your prick still throb?' And you, Carson, did not spill one drop of coffee? THAT, Carson, is complete composure, or aplomb.”

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A message from our President about the future of our club

I think (hope, really) that all of you are aware by now that I am not seeking re-election as President of Norton Colorado at the next

Winter Banquet. I am very happy that my Vice President of the past few years, Arnie Beckman, has expressed willingness to serve

as President, so I am not worried about a leadership vacuum, but of course there may well be others of you who will consider run-

ning and I encourage it heartily. I’ve been heavily involved in the operation of the club since about 1997 when I became Newsletter

Editor, during which time a great many changes have taken place in what the club does. You may have wondered, now and then,

about how things actually work behind the scenes to implement these changes, and the extent to which something like a demo-

cratic process is employed to guide the club’s activities. The answer is, “not much”. What you see at the Winter Banquet is just

about the full extent of it. The rest of the time we wing it.

I recall one of the first meetings I ever attended, a spring Tech Day, probably in 1996, at which Bob Martin and a few of the

“greybeards” of the club adjourned to the dining room to make some revisions to the club’s Charter, which ostensibly defines the

governance of the club. I did not see it then and I have never seen it since, but I’m sure there’s a copy around somewhere. Maybe

several different versions exist and I’m not sure how we’d know which one is official. Anyway, my point is that for the last 20 years

or so, the club has operated on the basis of an oral tradition derived from a Charter dating from the mid-1990s. The people who

have served as officers in that period did what they thought was best for the club, as it existed at the time, and that’s how it still

works.

Although I think the club has generally operated pretty successfully with this seat-of-the-pants approach, I do think it is a good

time, with a new President coming in, to set down some guidance about the tasks that need to be fulfilled in order for the club to

continue operating more or less in the mode it has been. One good reason for this is that I have personally been handling a number

of tasks that should not be the responsibility of the President. The historical reason for that arrangement is simple: I initiated many

of those responsibilities. In the future, if the club wants to continue doing the same things, those tasks are going to need to be dis-

tributed between a few more people, and those tasks and the responsibilities of the people handling them need to be defined to

some extent.

Therefore I have written a document describing how I think the club should now be organized in order to continue operating more

or less as we have in recent years, but without one person doing so much of the work. I think of this as a draft of a Charter for Nor-

ton Colorado that could be adopted by a vote at the next Winter Banquet. Between now and then there is time for discussion and

revisions. Arnie Beckman has been very helpful in reviewing and revising this draft, but I take full responsibility for it as it stands.

The governance of the club presently appears to lie with the full team of officers. On the website you can see nine positions men-

tioned as contributing to running the club. Perhaps you think of this as a Council that debates and votes on all the matters of policy

that come up. It is not. Substantive decisions about club activities have been made in nearly all cases by no more than two people:

the President and one of the other “officers” who has direct responsibility for some aspect of the club’s business. Frequently it has

been me talking to myself. In other words, the club operates like a small business with a half-dozen or so employees, each with his

or her area of expertise and responsibility, overseen by an office manager. Some clubs seem to have an abundance of members

who are eager to jump up and debate every aspect of the club’s life. For better or worse the culture of Norton Colorado has been

one in which the members are content to let one person set the tone and direction and a few members are willing to volunteer

some time to help out in one regard or another. The draft Charter reflects this reality by reducing the number of “Officers” who are

truly involved in setting policy to three, while allowing for Staff positions to be defined as needed to carry out specific tasks. If the

club can find three Officers who all participate wholly in governance, it will be more democratic than it has usually been. The key is

to find officers who are comfortable communicating via e-mail and who are responsive to each other’s messages. This is not as

simple as it sounds. In the alternative model of a large set of collegial officers with different responsibilities there is a danger of the

club becoming ungovernable, especially if more of the tasks that I have heretofore done myself are distributed among more indi-

viduals.

I understand completely that this sort of thing is brain-deadening to most people, especially the kind of people who are interested

in old motorcycles. I do not enjoy it either. Nevertheless I hope you will all take the time to read the Charter and think about these

issues a little. I’ll be glad to discuss this with you. The “final” copy of the charter is on the next 3 pages.

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Norton Colorado Motorcycle Club, Inc.

Governance and Organization

I. Mission:

Norton Colorado Motorcycle Club, Inc. (hereinafter “the Club”) consist of individuals who ride, restore and race Norton motorcycles and in so doing preserve and perpetuate this historically important marque.

II. Organizational Structure:

The Club’s organization structure shall consist of both leadership and staff positions. The “leadership” posi-tions shall consist of three “Officers” and the “Staff” positons may be created as deemed necessary, as set forth below.

A.Officers/Leadership

Three Officers shall conduct all governance activity for the Club, to generally include establishing all formal club events for the events calendar, performing all administrative duties, publishing the Newsletter and web-site, collecting dues and tracking membership.

1.The President (First Officer).

The President shall perform the following duties:

a. Monitor the performance of the other Officers and Staff and assist them as needed in the perfor-mance of their duties

b. Develop the agenda for the Winter Banquet, attend the Winter Banquet and serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the Banquet

c. Engage in and develop event planning for the Club

3.The Secretary (Second Officer)

The Secretary shall perform the following duties:

a. Maintain the list of paid members, as advised by the Treasurer

b. Update members' contact information

c. Maintain or delegate to Staff the maintenance of the Club website.

d. Oversee publication of the Club newsletter.

e. Send Newsletter Editor and Webmaster membership lists for publication

f. Maintain the e-mail broadcast list and send out broadcasts from other Officers, Staff, Club members and others deemed appropriate.

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2. The Treasurer (Third Officer)

The Treasurer shall perform the following duties:

a. Manage the Club bank account

b. Manage all financial activities of the Club

c. Pay legal fees, domain registration, website hosting, etc.

d. Accept dues payments from members

e. Accept proceeds from any and all sales to include but not limited to the sale of Club swag (t-shirts, calendars, stickers, etc.) and motorcycle parts

f. Advance money for production of Club swag, as directed by Officers

g. Reimburse event expenses, as directed by Officers

h. Submit periodic audits and accountings to the Officers

B. Elections and Transfer of Power

1. Each year during the annual Winter Banquet the attending members shall elect the three Officers. Officers may be elected and reelected an unlimited number of consecutive years.

2. In the event of incapacity or prolonged absence of the President, the Secretary shall act in place of the President for the duration of the incapacity or absence or until the next election at the Winter Banquet, whichever comes first. In the event the Secretary cannot or will not act in place of the President then the Treasurer shall act in place of the President for the duration of the incapacity or absence or until the next election at the Winter Banquet, whichever comes first. In the event both the Secretary or Treasurer cannot or will not act in place of the President an immediate vote of all current members shall fill the Presidential vacancy as soon as practicable. Such a vote may be conducted via electronic communication or any other medium available to expeditiously fill the Presidential vacancy.

3. In the event of incapacity or prolonged absence of either the Secretary or Treasurer, the President shall appoint a replacement Officer for the duration of the incapacity or absence or until the next election at the Winter Banquet, whichever comes first.

4. The annual club “dues” shall be waived for all Officers during the time they serve in the capacity as Officers

C. Staff

1. Officers, at their discretion and as they deem necessary, shall appoint Staff and delegate tasks to those Staff Members to assist in governance activity. Multiple staff positions may be held by a single person, includ-ing Officers.

2. Officers shall create and fill no more than five (5) Staff positions. Staff positions do not engage in govern-ance activities.

3. Staff may be appointed and dismissed by the President at any time, with the consent of at least one of the other two Officers.

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4. The Staff shall perform any duty reasonably related to a legitimate Club activity as directed by any Officer to include, but not limited to:

a. Newsletter Editor, who shall produce the monthly Norton Colorado Newsletter with contributions from members, and send a PDF version to the webmaster and the Secretary.

b. Webmaster, who shall maintain and develop the club website

c. Ride Coordinator, who shall develop the schedule of regular events with the President, send the list of events to the Newsletter Editor and Webmaster, prepare reminders for upcoming events, which are forwarded to the Secretary for broadcast, consult with the President about last minute changes of plan (e.g., weather-related) that are forwarded to the Secretary for broadcast, keep the totals for President's Award from regular events and solo rides, which are reported to the Newsletter Editor.

d. Swag Boss, who shall keep charge of the swag, and maintain an inventory, forwarded periodically to the Leadership, set prices for swag, in consultation with the President and Treasurer, organize sales of swag, send proceeds periodically to Treasurer, develop new swag in consultation with the Presi-dent and Treasurer and supervise production of swag, in consultation with President and Treasurer.

e. Parts Depot Despot, shall manage the Club's holdings of used Norton parts, inventory parts (to a reasonable extent), set prices for parts, in consultation with President and Treasurer, arrange for ac-cess by members to the parts depot, transfer proceeds of sales to the Treasurer, keep a record of sales, forwarded periodically to the President and Treasurer, consider acquisitions (or disposal) of parts in consultation with President and Treasurer.

D. Membership

1. Membership in Norton Colorado is open to anyone, regardless of whether they own a

Norton, or any motorcycle whatsoever.

2. Membership dues shall be set by the Officers at a reasonable rate currently set at $20 per year individual and $22 for a couple or family unit.

3. Dues are payable to "Norton Colorado" and sent to the Treasurer, whose contact information shall be published on the last page of the Newsletter.

4. The membership year begins with the Winter Banquet in February. New members who join after August 1 are credited with membership for the following year.

5. An increase in the amount for annual dues of more than 10% must be put before the members for a vote and shall only increase upon an affirmative vote of the majority of voting members.

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Motorcycle Stuff on the web:

The amazing Do Nothing Machine at the Museum of Craftsmanship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp4tGTNNi1I

2015 Norton Commando 961 Sport review. http://www.cycleworld.com/2015-norton-commando-961-sport-standard-motorcycle-review-road-test

From the President : Next Year’s Calendar

It’s time to start thinking about the event schedule for

next year. We try to strike a balance between

“tradition” and “novelty”, as well as appealing to the

interests of people who like to ride their Nortons long

distances and camp, at one end of the spectrum, and

also those who prefer to ride a short distance to a near-

by pub and drink beer, on the other end (I like both).

There are other dimensions as well, of course, such as

having Tech Days to keep more Nortons on the road

versus attending more Vintage Motorcycle Shows,

where you can just park a shiny Norton that may not

even run and discuss the esoterica of restoration. We

are always glad to have any feedback whatsoever on

the club events. There is no right or wrong answer, but

those who speak up are more likely to find their prefer-

ences being catered-to.

Eric

Nortons get around, or at least parts of them do. This tank, and some other assorted parts, were seen at the Rat Bar in Cusco, Peru.

16

2016 Schedule of Events

February 6 (Saturday) Winter Banquet, Tony P's Bar & Pizzaria, 777 E. 17th St., Denver, 5 PM.

March 5 (Saturday) Museum Tour at Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space Museum, Denver, 10 AM.

March 20 (Sunday) Pub meeting at Streets of London Pub, 1501 E. Colfax, Denver, 2 PM.

April 3 (Sunday) Spring Tech Day at Bob Martin's, 11838 W. 108th Dr., Broomfield, 9 AM.

May 15 (Sunday) Old Bike Ride 14, hosted by Bob Ohman, Golden, 8 AM.

June 5 (Sunday) Big Tent BBQ hosted by Eric Bergman and Susie Saarinen, 1900 19th St., Golden, 1 PM.

We welcome members of the BMAC, the Rocky Mountain Chapter and the Phantom Canyon Chapter

of the AMCA, and all other riders of vintage motos.

June 16-19 (Thursday-Sunday) Four Corners Rendezvous, at Mavreeso Campground, near Dolores,

hosted by Steve Harris & Charley Gremmels.

June 25-26 (Saturday—Sunday) Riverside Ride, phantomcanyonriders@gmail.com

July 3 (Sunday) Mt. Evans Ride, followed by brunch at David Sheesley's, 28204 Meadow Dr., Evergreen,

(303) 670-7258, (303) 670-7258. Start at Eric Bergman's, 1900 19th St., Golden at 9 AM.

July 11-16 (Monday-Saturday) INOA "Feather River Rally", Quincy, CA.

July 17 (Sunday) Open Garage at Al & Barb Slarks', 6299 Sunshine Canyon Dr., Boulder, 11 AM.

August 6-7 (Saturday-Sunday) Wimpy Campout, hosted by Jamie & Michelle Jones,

10800 S. Oehlmann Ave., Conifer.

August 20-21 (Saturday-Sunday) The Century Ride

August 27 (Sunday) YesterYear Farm Show, Longmont. Meet at 9 AM at Great Scott's Eatery in Broomfield.

September 9-11 (Friday-Sunday) Up The Poudre Without A Paddle at Archer's Poudre River Resort,

west of Fort Collins.

September 18 (Sunday) English Motoring Conclave, Oak Park, Arvada.

October 2 (Sunday) Breakfast Ride hosted by Jim and Marti Fisher, 1374 Greening Ave., Erie, 11 AM.

October 15 (Saturday) Plains Ride, hosted by Scott & Julie Robinson, 1711 E. 83rd Pl., Denver, 9 AM.

November 6 (Sunday) Fall Tech Day hosted by Denny and Cathy Westervelt,

12406 Columbine Way, Thornton, 9 AM.

December 4 (Sunday) Pub meeting at Pints Pub,

221 W. 13th Ave., Denver, at 11 AM.

2017 Schedule of Events January 1 (Sunday) New Years Day Ride

January 15 (Sunday) Pub meeting at Lincoln's Road House, Denver, 11 AM. February 4 (Saturday) Winter Banquet, Tony P's Bar & Pizzaria, 777 E. 17th St., Denver, 5 PM.

James L has a new addition to his “herd”.

17

Membership

Membership in Norton Colorado is open to anyone, regardless of whether they own a Norton, or any motorcycle whatsoever.

Dues are $20/ year individual, $22 for a couple or family unit, payable to "Norton Colorado" and sent to the Treasurer, whose contact information is listed on the last page of this newsletter.

The list printed in this newsletter is the offi-cial membership, as understood by the Newsletter Editor on the date of publication of the newsletter. Please let me know if I have made an error.

The membership year begins with

the Winter Banquet in February. New mem-bers who join after August 1 are credited with membership for the following year.

Club Events

Many events have been scheduled for

the 2016 season, usually about 2 per

month. Participation in these events will

be counted for the President's Award.

Events may be added, dropped, or re-

scheduled through the year. The sched-

ule can be found in this newsletter or

check the schedule on the club website:

http://www.nortoncolorado.org/

meetings.html

Prez Points Standings Top 10 (2016):

points, events, solo rides

Jack Abeyta 81 16 9

Peggy Abeyta 70 15 3

Scott Robinson 63 13 9

Mike Fields 50 11 6

James Lafler 49 8 19

Debbie Johnson 47 10 15

Bob Martin 40 16 0

Rick Black 40 10 0

Denny Westervelt 37 9 8

Eric Bergman 28 14 0

Arnie Beckman 23 6 0

Western Slope Riders

Many Norton Colorado members live in the western part of the state, and finally have noticed that it’s I inconvenient to ride 500 miles for High Tea on the Front Range. Said members have formed a loose confederation known as the Western Slope Riders, and are having their own High Tea and other fun times.

All Norton Colorado members are welcome at these Western Slope events, so if you city kids want to find out what the shoe feels like on the other foot, plan to ride out and join the Western Slope contingent.

Contact: Charley Gremmels and Steve Harris 970-946-1960.

NoNortons@gmail.com for info on up-coming WSR events

18

Norton Colorado Membership

15 16 City Phone

E-mail 2016 Prez Points

Jack & Peggy Abeyta X X Westminster (303) 426-0594 abeytaa@aol.com 11/11

Frank & Jennifer Albert X X Evergreen (303) 905-3817 frankalbert@att.net Randy & Sharon Albright X X Golden (303) 273-9262 dirtywhitedog@comcast.net 1/0 Peter Allen X X Evergreen (303) 886-4696 vincenttwin@gmail.com 1 Karen Bailey & Steve Lavin X X Denver (303) 695-1192 karenbailey33@gmail.com 0/0 Jim Bay* X X Arvada (303) 579-1234 jimbemotumbo@gmail.com 5 Arnie & Stephanie Beckman X X Denver (303) 733-4239 arnnsteph@comcast.net 6/1 Eric Bergman & Susan Saarinen X X Golden (303) 278-7445 OneNorton@gmail.com 4/1 Rick Black X X Arvada (720) 885-6410 blackrichardh@yahoo.com 6 Greg & Coleen Boechler X X Parker (720) 394-4734 greg@boechler.com 1

John Boyd X X Aspen (970) 404-0759 johnny3nortons@gmail.com Gene & Helen Brown Tom Brown X

X Denver

Grand Junction

(303) 520-4747 bedfordbeau@gmail.com 1/0 utahtom17@yahoo.com

King Browne X X Golden (303) 271-1884 kingbrowne@comcast.net 1 Dave Campbell X Highlands Ranch (720) 579-3625 dc.cccolo.gmail.com Peter Chronis X X Denver (303) 332-3504 pchronis43@msn.com 3 Larry & Marilee Claxton X X Cedaredge (970) 856-4348 claxtonlarryj@gmail.com Jim & Jacalyn Colt X X Boulder (303) 449-2760 ColtCo@frii.com 2/1

Ernie Comstock & Diane LaFavor X X Lafayette (303) 665-7934 comsteg@gmail.com Jim Comstock X Pueblo (719) 646-2610 comnoz2@juno.com Dave Coxon X X Niwot (303) 652-3607 dvcoxon@rockymountainpower.com John Dahl X X Arvada (303) 467-0778 john4dahl@gmail.com Paul-M. David X X Denver (303) 331-8008 paul@winepairings.biz Christopher & Jennifer Eng X Nederland (303) 570-8096 cengcycling@gmail.com

Bones Engelman X Arvada 308-8680 bonesilhd@comcast.net Mike Fields & Vicki Borden X X Denver (303) 937-9750 mpfields1@yahoo.com 13/6

Jim & Marti Fisher X X Erie (303) 828-0114 jfisher@coloradogroup.com Richard Florence & Linda Sheean

Skip Foree

X X

X Steamboat Springs (970) 846-0261 richardsflorence@gmail.com foreemilelli@yahoo.com

Mike Gallagher & Lisa Gills X Lafayette (720) 890-8355 mgallagher01@hotmail.com Peter & Grace Geise X X Louisville (720) 320-1917 stone-haus@comcast.net Kris Geller X X Colorado Springs uukkee@aol.com 1

Tony Hagger X X Colorado Springs (303) 880-7321 thehaggers@msn.com Steve Harris & Charley Gremmels X X Durango (970) 259-1302 NoNortons@gmail.com 1/1 Bob Herman & Lisa Scalise X X Crestone 256-4527 romomoto@gmail.com 1/0 Pete Homan X X Denver 570-2044 peteh@centurylink.net 1

Michael Homs X X Denver (303) 388-6400 mjhoms@hotmail.com Dennis Horgan X X Denver (303) 475-1591 dennis_horgan@msn.com 2 John Hoyt* X X Fort Collins (970) 224-1469 johnandsuehoyt@yahoo.com Keith & Susan Hurtubise X X Littleton (303) 808-8202 keithabees@aol.com 2/0 Stephen Jarvis X Durango (303) 880-5120 jarvist@mindspring.com Blair Jenkins X X Westminster (303) 947-4629 gs.blair@hotmail.com Debby Johnson

Ed & Diana Johnson

X X

X X

Niwot (303) 229-2089 2Nortons@gmail.com edwardjohnson11@msn.com

6

Tim Johnson X X Galesburg, IL timson4@gmail.com Jamie & Michelle Jones X X Conifer (303) 697-6166 jmjones91@msn.com 1/1 (Continued on next page)

19

Norton Colorado Membership (continued)

* Joined after August 1, 2015; dues paid through 2016

15 16 City Phone

E-mail 2015 Prez Points John Kinlin X X Denver (303) 320-6835 jkinlin@msn.com 3 Tom & Nora Kruplak X X Parker (303) 952-9529 kru4@comcast.net Mark Kulik* X X markgkulik@gmail.com James Lafler X X Fort Collins (970) 218-2707 jpl777@bajabb.com 13 Sid & Karen Leavell X X Durango (970) 259-0151 busters@bresnan.net Ken McEntire & Roslyn X Englewood (303) 777-5663 1/1 Mark Liu & Gerry Molettiere X X Westminster (303) 506-4557 markdavidliu@aol.com 2/1 Steve & Anne Lloyd X Littleton (303) 734-0506 Steve_Lloyd_66@hotmail.com

Marc Lomax X X Westminster lomaxcm@comcast.net 2 Bob Martin & Sheila Wilson X X Broomfield (303) 466-6903 bobamartin@msn.com 4/1 Vern Neuscheler X X Boulder (303) 618-9914 vernarthur@gmail.com Bob & Claire Ohman X X Denver (303) 570-9333 reohman@att.net 4/0 Ron & Joan Pierce X X Fort Myers, FL ronpierceco2@aol.com Jerry Pokorny X X Colorado Springs (303) 912-4509 jerry_pokorny@msn.com Dave Porter (Old World Bikes) X Golden (720) 509-9293 d.porter@oldworldbikes.com

Mike Powell X X gelbviehs@yahoo.com 1

Greg & Linda Ray X Lewistown, MT (406) 538-2733 montanagreg@midrivers.com 1/1 Lynaire Reeh X X Englewood (303) 771-3855 lynaire.reeh@gmail.com Scott & Julie Robinson X X Thornton (303) 287-6580 mister.r (or) Harleyhygienist @comcast.net 15/3 Trish Sanders & Cori Zambrano X X Denver (303) 870-4167 corizambrano@gmail.com Randy & Evan Schneider X X Wellington (970) 227-3825 redienhcsr@aol.com Andi & Kristina Seiler X X Münzenberg andi.seiler@gmx.de David Sheesley X X Evergreen (303) 674-1114 dks@davidksheesley.com Scott Shuler X X Fort Collins (720) 289-2153 scott.shuler@colostate.edu Steve Siler X X Frederick (303) 817-6075 ssiler@mtechg.com Al & Barb Slarks X Boulder (303) 818-5556 al@slarks.com 1/1 Wayne, Ursula & Christopher Smiley X Frederick (303) 829-2417 wssmiley@comcast.net Bill Stone X X Kaleen, Australia bilstone@bigpond.net.au

Paul Swenson X X Colorado Springs beemerpaul@aol.com 2 Tom and Camille Tallick X X Arvada (303) 425-0462 ttallick@gmail.com Jo Teague X X Littleton (303) 324-5212 teaguejom@gmail.com Darell Teeples X X Portland, OR (503) 793-7783 dedet@easystreet.net Craig Terry X X Grand Junction (970) 618-9140 catsguzzi@yahoo.com Al Turner X Denver (303) 989-8803 al_tu@hotmail.com Jay & Teri Ann Tynes X X Elizabeth (720) 274-4653 tubbrex@aol.com 1/1 Herb & Karen Varona X X Westminster (303) 420-5107

Lew Wackler X Boulder (303) 350-0430 lewackler@yahoo.com Dale & Cathy Watson X X Conifer (303) 697-3223 dhwats73@gmail.com Dave & Robin Webster X X Haiku, HI (808) 575-9051 bsadw@hotmail.com Denny & Cathy Westervelt X X Denver (303) 919-7585 dennywestervelt@aol.com 2/2 Martin White & Lee Maassen X X Louisville (303) 661-9402 weeno6@netzero.com 7/1 Russ Willard X X Lewisville, NC (336) 655-7339 rwillard8@triad.rr.com Michael Wilson (paid through 2017) X X Littleton (303) 908-1597 md_wilson@comcast.net Bob Wood X X Billings, MT (406) 259-5123 drrwwood@gmail.com Jon & Kirsten Zemp X Denver (720) 234-9033 jondzemp@gmail.com

Bob Zimmerman X X Colorado Springs (719) 328-9633 rzimmerman2016@outlook.com 2

Total Memberships 85 81

20

Credits: Thanks to Jack Abeyta, Eric Bergman, Bob Herman, James Lafler, Bob Martin, Jerry Pokorny, Greg Ray and Scott Shuler for their contributions to this newsletter. I also want to say thanks to others who sent me things I will use in future editions.

Current Occupants

Grand Wazoo

Eric Bergman (303) 278-7445

onenorton@gmail.com

Consigliore

Arnie Beckman (303) 733-4239

Arnie.Beckman@coloradodefenders.us

Exchequer (Send $$$ here)

Charley Gremmels

1832 Forest Ave.,Durango,CO81301

(970) 259-1302

NoNortons@gmail.com

Ride Coordination Czarina

Debby Johnson (303) 229-2089

2nortons@gmail.com

Swag Boss

Jim Fisher (303) 828-0114

jfisher@coloradogroup.com

Ministry of Truth

Scott Robinson (303)287-6580

mister.r@comcast.net Parts Depot Despot Bob Ohman (303)570-9333

reohman@att.net

Norton Colorado

1900 19th Street

Golden, CO 80401

Norton 650 SS